You Are Beautiful
by ruiiko
Summary: Raven has always felt like the odd one out of her team. The only one she can really call a close friend is Starfire, and even then, she feels slightly envious of her. After all, she's all these wonderful things that she isn't. But Starfire doesn't think so, and is determined to let Raven know just how loved she is!


**I used to love Teen Titans as a kid, and I have re discovered my love for them! I'm starting to watch the episodes again, so hopefully I got everyone's personality right, or make it seem like they're in character as much as possible in this, since it's my first fanfic for this fandom. Anyways, I thought about making this yuri, but decided against it, just because it's nice to have a friendship fanfic once in a while. You can put the yuri goggles on, if you so desire, though. Anyways... enjoy and review!**

* * *

"Woo, yay!"

"What a lovely day!"

"Finally, a day we can have some fun!"

The team cheered, as they ran down the sandy slopes of the beach. For once, the Titans got a day off. It seemed like an ordinary day, and everything was in order, so the team decided to take a day off of crime fighting to have a day to themselves. Which was way long over-due, in Beast Boy's opinion.

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and it was a beautiful day out. Yes, today would be a day of fun! Everything seemed perfect. Everyone was so happy to be out absorbing the sun rays, except for one person.

Raven.

The girl watched from the side, watching as Cyborg and Beastboy passed a valleyball back and forth to eachother, and then to Starfire and Robin who splashed at eachother in the water.

And she let out a sigh. She felt horribly out of place, as she stood around with her cloak covering her body, hood up. She was already starting to sweat under it, but she wasn't sure what to do about it. Sure, there was the option of swimming, but... or there was also valley-ball, but was she really desperate enough to play a game with Beast Boy? He already annoyed her enough...

The truth is, Raven has always felt rather out of place. These people were supposed to be her friends, her team mates, and yet... she just felt so odd around them. Granted, they were all nice enough, and they always treated her well, and as much as she appreciated it and held respect for them, she didn't know how exactly to fit in.

Raven sighed, shaking the thoughts off, as she instead took a seat under a beach umbrella. Smiling to herself, she pulled her hoodie off, and pulled a book out from under her cloak.

Oh well.

Atleast literature was always there for her.

Raven's gaze scanned along the lines in the book, already starting to fade out of the real world, and into the world of literature.

Everything was all fine and good until-bam! Raven gasped, looking out of her book, immediatly feeling pain rush to her head. The next thing she knew, Beast Boy was yelling, and rushing towards her. "Raven! Are you okay?" He asked, awkwarldy rubbing the back of his next. Cyborg was soon at his side, and Raven was rubbing at her own head with a groan. "Ow..."

"I'm sorry..." Beast Boy frowned, reaching down to get his ball. Beside him, Cyborg found his way into the conversation. "Why are you sitting out here by yourself?" He wondered.

Raven glanced back up to him with a huff, and without words, she held her book up, pointing to the tittle.

Cyborg chuckled. "You should really get out there, Rae! You know... I COULD always use another partner. Anyone to kick grass-stains ass, here." He laughed harder. Raven couldn't help but crack a smile, as Beastboy yelled, going off on him.

And then she actually thought it over for a moment. Hesitantly, she spoke up. "...I... I appreciate the offer, but... I think i'd be better off right here."

Cyborg raised a brow. "You sure?" Beastboy, who had been quiet for a while now, then pounced at Raven, wrapping his arms around her.

"Is it because you're mad at me? I'm sorry, Raven!" He pleaded, and Raven's mouth formed a straight line, as she let out a huff.

"No, Beastboy, I'm not mad at you!" She insisted, pushing him off. Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to his side. Raven rolled her eyes, gaze transfiguring back to Cyborg. "It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm fine here."

Cyborg shrugged. "If you're sure, Rae. There is always swimming, too, I'm sure Robin and Star wouldn't mind if you crashed their date." He said in a teasing tone, wiggling his eyebrows. Raven glanced around him, looking over to the two. She felt her heart sinking, even more, as she watched them. Robin and Starfire had always been so close, and a part of her felt kind of jealous about that, for whatever reason.

Even just watching her, the way she acted around him-she was always so kind. It seemed like she could never get mad at anyone. She cared about people. And somehow, she even managed to deal with Raven! Raven never really liked her in the beginning, but being the oblivious, confused alien she was, she didn't seem to take the hint. So she continued to try and pursue being Raven's friend, kept trying to get closer to him-and somewhere along the line, Raven gave in.

And in all honesty, she was probably the closest person she could really call a friend, in the whole team.

And that was really hard for her to do.

"No?" Raven gasped, hearing Cyborg talking. Coming back to it, she looked back and forth between him, and back down to her book, with a confused look on her face. He chuckled. "Aaaanyways, I can see you don't really want us to bother you right now. We're here though, if you change your mind!" He flashed a grin, before the pair were running off to continue their game.

Raven sighed, her gaze going back to Starfire.

Besides being kind and caring, she was gorgeous. She looked beautiful in her pink and orange checkered bikini, showing off all her curves. Raven glanced away then, looking down to herself. And then she let out a sigh. She felt so... weird, combared to her.

Starfire was out-going, Raven was quiet.

Starfire loved people, Raven was lucky enough to be close enough to call her a friend.

Starfire was beautiful, and well... she wasn't.

Raven let out a sigh, as she folded the page to her book, and pulled her hoodie up. She had just gotten here, yet she didn't really want to be here. She was just a waste of space. With a sigh, she got up, and made her way back to the Titan Tower, so she could be alone.

Meanwhile, Starfire paused, resting her hands on her knees, looking over her shoulder. Robin sneaked up on her, and grabbed her foot, to pull her under. With a large gasp, she lost it, falling under, and the boy wonder let out a laugh, as he held his gut. Starfire scrunched her eyebrows together, as she got up, pushing him back just as hard. "That was not funny!" She scolded him, turning away from him with crossed arms.

Robin blinked in confusion, watching her expression go from angered, to worried, as he gaze travelled back to the land. He stood up, making his way over to her, lightly touching her shoulder. "Starfire, are you alright?"

She blinked, turning to face him, her arms still crossed. And she let out a sigh. "I am concerned about Raven..." She admitted.

Robin looked surprise. "Why?" He looked back to the land, looking all around for where she could be. But she was nowhere to be seen! 'Hey, where'd she go?" He asked.

Starfire scratched at the back of her head. "I beileve I have a good idea..."

* * *

Raven let out a sigh, falling backwards onto her bed. She then turned onto her side, to face the wall, gripping her soft sheets in her hands. Raven squeezed her eyes shut, feeling frustrated with herself. '_Why must I be like this...' _She wished she could be as out going as everyone else. She wished she felt like she fit in, not just with Starfire, but with everyone else.

The thought often floated around in her mind, time from time.

What would it be like, if she could just have a day to feel normal, without it being so weird? She knew she had to control herself, she couldn't exactly afford to show any emotion. And while it was easier at times to keep to herself, she wanted to be able to be happy, or to be sad. She didn't want to have to hold it all back. It wasn't always as easy as it may seem.

Pulling herself up, Raven slung her legs over the side of her bed, getting up, making her way over to the large mirror in her room. She took a seat, and looked herself over. She hated the way she looked. She was too pale, too serious, it always seemed to be one thing after the other. She knew it was just the way she was, and that she couldn't change it, but it still was frustrating at times.

Raven tried to shove those thoughts away, as she rested her head in her palms. And then she heard a knock at the door, causing her to jump. "Y-yes?" She asked, still taken back. Wasn't everyone else still supposed to be at the beach? Or perhaps Cyborg noticed she left, and needed an extra team player, so decided to come back for her. The thought amused her for a short amount of time, but she knew it was unlikely.

"Raven? May I come in?" The girl paused, hearing the familiar, gentle voice.

Starfire.

Raven turned away from her mirror. "Yes..." She mumbled, turning to the door, and used her powers to open the door.

Starfire stood in the doorway, a concerned expression sprawled across her face. Raven turned away from her, as the alien allowed herself in, the door slamming behind her. "Why did you leave so early?" Starfire wondered, approaching her.

Raven didn't turn to face her. She just shrugged, suddenly feeling at a loss for words. She hadn't expected Starfire to come confront her! Or well, she hadn't really expected anyone to come after her, actually... still, she was surprised that Starfire took time out of beach time to come confront her. Wasn't she supposed to be on a 'date' with Robin or something? If so, why would she be here?

"Raven?" She asked again, when Raven didn't respond. Inching closer, she put a hand on Raven's shoulder, only for Raven to sharply pull away. "Don't."

Starfire was shocked. "P-pardon?" She begged, and Raven immediatly felt guilty for being so harsh. She let out a sigh, trying to let herself relax, but she could feel an ache growing in her stomache.

"Sorry..." She mumbled.

Starfire smiled. "Do not worry. However, I am worried about you, friend. Are you alright?" She asked, and Raven turned to face her. She smiled supportively, her hands behind her back. Raven nodded. "I'm fine, Star... don't worry about me, alright? You should go back, though, I bet Robin is waiting for you." She looked away again.

Starfire frowned. "Yes, see... I'd love to, but I will not, unless you are coming with me."

Raven's eyes widened. "W-what?"

The frown sooned turned into a smile. "Yes. Will you please come with me?" She asked, clasping her hands together.

Raven bit her lip, thinking it over. She still felt as though she didn't fit in, and even if Starfire was with her, she was close to the other team mates. She wouldn't be by her side by the whole time. She wouldn't want to sit under the beach umbrellas. She would want to be swimming with Robin, or playing volley ball with Cyborg and Beastboy. Or perhaps she and Robin would team up against the two boys, and they would play a real game. So where would she come in, then? If she joined a team, it would be an odd number. She sighed again, already feeling left out, and she wasn't even there! "I... don't think so. Sorry, Star."

The smile dropped back into a frown. "But, Raven..."

Raven turned away from her. "Please, just don't worry about me. Okay?" Starfire was just wasting her time, anyways.

"Is there something wrong?" Raven paused, hearing her next question. She turned back to face her, examing the genuinly concerned expression on her face. "Raven, you know you can always talk to me about anything, right?"

Raven felt even more guilty for not telling Starfire what was bothering her. That girl knew just about everything there was to know about Raven, yet she didn't know just how much was bothering her. Raven told her about any problem she had, and vice versa, yet she never bothered to tell her about this one. How was she supposed to, though? This was something that had been bothering her for a long time.

Raven paused then, feeling arms loop around her shoulders, fingers rustling in her hair. She was then spun around in her seat, so she was forced to look herself in the mirror. Blush sprawled all across her face. "H-how did you..? What? Why?" She studdered, her hand reaching up to touch the flowers that rested in her hair.

Starfire giggled at her confused expression, her arms wrapping around her so she could give her a hug. "You are beautiful, Raven." Raven was silent, as she looked down to her desk. For once, she could feel tears in her eyes. Not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness. Starfire nuzzled her cheek into Raven's hair, continueing to hold her.

"I know you do not like to talk about your problems, but please, Raven, if you must, know that I am always here for you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Raven looked back into the mirror, admiring the beautiful white flowers. And hesitantly, she wrapped her fingers around Starfire's arms, and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Starfire..." She mumbled under her breathe.

Starfire smiled, glad to see her friend opening up more to her. Releasing her, she then pulled up a chair, so she could sit next to Raven. The pale girl glanced over to her, knowing that she expected her to spill everything now. And honestly... she supposed it would be a good idea. It was Starfire, someone she could trust. As much as she didn't want to talk about it, she knew she had to. Perhaps it would take some pressure off her chest. "I just... I feel out of place, I guess..."

Starfire tilted her head. "Why is that?"

Raven rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I don't know... you're the only one I'm really close to, and even then, it took a while for me to get used to you, so..." Starfire couldn't help but giggle at that. "I just feel like I'm not really wanted around here."

Starfire frowned, as she grabbed at Raven's hands, her fingers slipping inbetween hers, pulling them close. "Oh, no, no, no! Please don't think like that... we all love you, Raven."

Raven pulled away, feeling blush adorn her cheeks. "Maybe you do, but what about the others?" Sure, Cyborg was nice to her, but he was nice to everyone in his own way. Robin was nice too, but he had to be, since he was the team leader. He had to set an example. And Beastboy, well... he was just plain annoying.

Starfire smiled. "I am sure-I'm sorry, no. I know that they love you. Perhaps they have odd ways of showing it, but we are all a team here."

Raven shrugged. "I guess..."

Starfire continued smiling, as she reached over, pulling her friend into a hug once again. "Do not worry about it, alright? Just know that you are appreciated, and if it counts for anything, you're my best friend. You are loved by me." She tried her best to comfort Raven, as she gently rubbed her back.

Raven felt herself smiling, as her head rested against her shoulder. "I know..."

She really was lucky to have Starfire.

If no one else could make her smile, she always knew that Starfire could. She was her best friend, and even if Raven could be a pain in the butt, she knew that Starfire would always be there for her.

And she'd always be there for Starfire.

Because that's what friends are for.


End file.
